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Scientists working on ways to combat dangerous cancers are exploring a way of treatment that could be as simple as feeling happy thoughts.
At present, she is being tested on mice, but a new study is adding research that suggests that we might someday be able to treat cancer by triggering a primary reward region in the brain.
The most recent research to be published comes from Israel. Scientists at the Technion, the Israeli Institute of Technology in Haifa, show in the journal Nature Communications how they managed to reduce cancerous tumors in laboratory rats by manipulating what is called the ventral tegmental zone of their brain. In humans, a complex neural network in this region controls positive emotions, expectations, and motivation.
Once this neuronal array is activated – in this case with a drug called clozapine N-oxide – the researchers claim that it enhances antibacterial immunity. Specifically, dopaminergic neurons are distributed to disable suppressor cells that are created in the bone marrow. These cells typically stimulate tumor growth. By deactivating them, the body is able to control the growth of the tumor, and even works to reduce it.
The researchers worked with two sets of mice. In both groups, the mice were implanted with cancer cells. In one, scientists have triggered the emotional regions of mouse brains. For the second, they did not do anything. According to the study, the first group experienced a decrease in the size of tumors, sometimes up to half
This discovery is particularly interesting as it explores a field of research on the impact of tumors. emotional states on some forms of cancer. Currently, there is more research showing how negative emotions – depression and stress – make it more difficult to fight cancer. Researchers in Israel have noted that it is still unclear whether this method of treatment could work in humans. The discovery in the mouse certainly gives them a reason to explore it further.
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